Newington Schools Seek Slightly More Space In Renovated Town Hall

Newington schools seek slightly more space, mostly for records, in town hall renovation

NEWINGTON — The schools would like slightly more space, primarily to store documents, in a renovated town hall but can make due with its current space.

That was the message Superintendent William C. Collins brought to the town hall building committee this week.

"We are willing to work with the town to do whatever they would like us to do," Collins said. "Office space is not my priority. The schools are my priority."

The school system's offices currently occupy 22,600 square feet of the deteriorating building, Collins said. The roof over its area is in especially poor condition, subjecting employees, equipment and records to leaks and mold, he said.

"Being on the third floor is not fun because we get all the water," he said.

Collins' priorities for renovated offices include sufficient parking, retaining a boardroom for meetings and training and a designated and secure file storage area.

Collins put particular emphasis on storage. The system is required to retain records for 50 years or more, and they are now scattered haphazardly throughout its offices, he said. He estimated the district needs about 3,000 square feet to properly secure the documents.

The schools would like to add a break room for employees, but it's not a necessity, he said.

"We'll take whatever we can get," Collins said.

Town hall houses town government and the Mortensen Community Center, as well as school board offices. The committee faces a significant challenge in meeting all the space needs in a renovated town hall.

Committee Vice Chairman Whit Przech said that it's too early to say whether the schools could get extra space in the redone building. Parks and recreation is already seeking a second community center gym.

"We're going to try to do the best we can to accommodate all the issues in the building with the town hall staff, the board of education and parks and recreation," Przech said.

Przech said that architectural firm Kaestle Boos will present its preliminary plans and design ideas at the committee's next meeting on March 3. After the committee sees those plans, it will have a better idea of what is possible, he said.